For Colleges

ldquo;We have a great deal of interest in programs such as College Summit that provide for an educated populous and have an outcome of bridging the higher education gap in South Carolina.”
- Dr. Andrew Hugine, President of South Carolina State University

The following colleges and universities have demonstrated their commitment to South Carolina students by supporting and developing greater opportunities for students from low-income households. Beyond hosting summer workshops, many of our colleges have found additional ways to both energize our youth and reduce obstacles to their success as they navigate the college application process. College Summit is proud to acknowledge the following partner colleges in South Carolina:

The University of South Carolina (USC) is part of public university system for South Carolina. USC is comprised of eight campuses (four 4-years and four 2-years). President Andrew Sorensen heads both the flagship campus in Columbia and the state-wide system, but the 4-year campuses have significant autonomy programmatically and financially (they are accredited separately). USC- Columbia will host both workshops in 2006 and one in 2007. USC has also committed to work with College Summit to secure another host from within the USC system to host a second workshop in 2007, with USC- Beaufort and USC- Upstate identified as top candidates because they would extend College Summit- South Carolina reach southward and northward, respectively. USC- Columbia is unlikely to enroll significant numbers of College Summit students, but all of the system campuses are.

South Carolina State University (SC State) is a historically black, public university located in Orangeburg. SC State is committed to preparing students from South Carolina and is much more likely than USC to enroll College Summit students. The president of SC State, Dr. Andrew Hugine, has committed to host one workshop a year for five years beginning in 2007, and is the site of the College Summit South Carolina Office.  In addition, College Summit has a strong relationship with at least three members of SC State’s Board of Trustees.

College Spotlights

USC-Columbia

The students who recently participated in College Summit-South Carolina made it known that they have a wealth of experiences, talents, and interests—and are more than standardized test scores and report card grades. Hosting its inaugural four-day summer workshop, June 22-June 26, at the University of South Carolina-Columbia, College Summit-South Carolina gave 44 students from four school districts across the state the opportunity to break down the barriers to access higher education. Known as “Peer Leaders,” the workshop participants, rising high school seniors, came from Richland County School District 1, Orangeburg County School District 4, Sumter School District 17 and Charleston County.

The USC-Columbia workshop was the first time that some Peer Leaders had been on a college campus—exposure that can really make a difference.

“As a former admissions officer,” said YaKima Rhinehart, Program Director of College Summit-SC, “I was keenly aware of the disparities unique to students from lower income and rural schools. College Summit’s school-wide approach means that every student will have the tools necessary to navigate the complex process of enrolling in college.”

The intensive workshop was full of information and activities to help manage and de-mystify the college admissions process. Not only did students get to spend four full days on a college campus (truly living the college life—sleeping in dorms and eating in dining halls), they also participated in a mock admissions session and attended a financial aid seminar which helped make the process of obtaining money for college much less daunting.

Each Peer Leader also benefited from an hour-long appointment with an expert college counselor—the outcome of which was a list of colleges that match the student’s academic, financial, social, and geographic interests. College Summit alumni were also on hand to help run the workshop, affording Peer Leaders a unique opportunity to ask real questions about their expectations of college life.

A major thrust of the event was for each student to craft a compelling college essay during writing sessions that spanned the long weekend. Participants were divided into groups of four or five students and assigned to Writing Coaches, specially-trained in College Summit’s unique writing curriculum, who helped them tell their stories in what would become their personal statements for college applications. Students learned how to “show”—not tell—their stories to admissions officers, and revise their own essays to have a solid finished product by the close of the workshop. The workshop culminated in a banquet for student participants and staff to celebrate their hard work and the exciting road ahead.

An important part of the College Summit model is that these Peer Leaders are charged with teaching the rest of the seniors in their school, who didn’t attend the workshop, what they have learned, and encouraging them to think about college as a viable postsecondary option.  Each year, the college-going culture in partner high schools is thereby strengthened.